Personal Statement

One of my earliest memories is exploring my hometown on the back of my uncle’s scooter with a drawing pad, sketching everything that piqued my blooming interest. The pages quickly filled with the bolstering life of farmers’ markets, expansive city plazas with the elderly doing Tai Chi, and a myriad of shops selling various trinkets and services. That sense of curiosity, keen observation, and infatuation with the built environment has never escaped me, compelling me to discover what it means to be a designer, and how places can bring people together.

In college, that seed of curiosity cultivated in me a research-based approach toward architectural design. Through my work in design studios and other collegiate activities such as Cornell University Sustainable Design, and National Organization of Minority Architect Students, I discovered design values that synthesize cultural, environmental, and social-economical factors to achieve the most positive impact on the community. Curious about how to apply design thinking to other fields, I decided to pursue a business minor where I found similar success by applying that research-based methodology to related case studies. The results were context-driven narratives that enhanced the intrinsic value of business solutions.

During my internship at James KM Cheng Architects, I participated in a design strategy approach toward architecture, where a special-purpose design process is required to achieve the client’s goal of building a Class A office tower on a controversial heritage site. After identifying that the approach from the previous architect was unable to obtain the development permits because it lacked a comprehensive analysis of the context, as well as stakeholder engagement, we decided to first analyze the historical context and planning policies to conceive a compelling narrative and actionable opportunities that sets a tone for the past, present, and future. In conjunction with this research and design, we co-hosted multi-day stakeholder workshops that helped all parties understand the positive benefits of the emerging office tower, winning us support from both obvious and unlikely places. This process exemplifies how a research and narrative-based approach to an architectural project is necessary in both helping with the approval process as well as motivating positive changes in an otherwise neglected community.

My professor once told me that we are not here to learn how to be architects, but how to think like architects. Since graduating from college, I came to truly understand the meaning of that statement. As architecture students, we are taught to respect our process, which incorporates rigorous research and analysis to recognize resilient solutions. What draws me to Gensler and the DSD Program is the emphasis on the research-oriented and analytical approach to design, as well as the chance to create value for both the client and the larger community. The cross-disciplinary quality of my academic and professional parallels the goals of the DSD Program, synthesizing the diverse skills and lived experiences of designers, planners, and engineers to help clients find creative and effective solutions. Given the opportunity, I will continue to develop my skills as a design thinker and leverage them to contribute to Gensler in a meaningful way.